[brooksby]

School-run drivers in Somerset ‘targeted with nails in road’

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/02/school-run-drivers-in-somerset-targeted-with-nails-in-road

[quote]

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: “We can confirm that we received a report from a woman that she discovered a screw in the tyre of her vehicle when she returned home after doing the school run. She believes this was deliberate.

“We are treating the incident as criminal damage and are keen to hear from anyone who may have information.”

[/quote]

So, when nails are put down for cars it is an active investigation amid suspicion of causing criminal damage…   Remind me: what happens to all those times tacks are put down for bicycles, or wire on MTB tracks, etc etc etc?

 

 

Topic

[PRSboy]

Dr Ofsereb wrote:

What amazes, and worries, me is the sheer number of cars that come out becasue kids don’t walk to school any more. When I was primary school age not every family had a car. We did but I got sent off walking like everyone else. Now many families have two cars at least and kids ‘need’to get dropped off. Is it because more of the time both parents work and they are going to work after, we have become really risk averse (for some things) as a society, etc, etc…..

Folks in our village are reluctant to let their kids walk to the local school because many drivers go too fast despite the 30 limit, and the pavement is very narrow.  It seems ridiculous that they actually drive them the 1/2 mile (to be fair usually on their way to work etc) but actually I don’t blame them and it always niggles at my mind when I know my daughters are walking home.

Yes its risk averse, but kids are too precious.

The times I politely suggest that drivers may wish to slow down are usually ignored or met with a rude gesture.  To be fair, one recently apologised and noticeably slowed down which was a first.

[Dr Ofsereb]

What amazes, and worries, me

What amazes, and worries, me is the sheer number of cars that come out becasue kids don’t walk to school any more. When I was primary school age not every family had a car. We did but I got sent off walking like everyone else. Now many families have two cars at least and kids ‘need’to get dropped off. Is it because more of the time both parents work and they are going to work after, we have become really risk averse (for some things) as a society, etc, etc…..

[Canyon48]

Beecho wrote:

sizbut wrote:

…a slow news day in Somerset…

Every day bar Glastonbury then.

Don’t forget the carnival season though!

don simon wrote:

Some people in this country are real dickheads

Becki Haskins, 37, said: “I’ve had verbal abuse all the time. A man has threatened to follow me home and park in my drive. People come from all over because it’s a nice school.”

By all means follow them home, (don’t follow them home) and park legally outside their house though.

Obviously there’s a fair point of too many cars on the roads, the infrastructure being inadequate, etc, etc. But that’s for a different day.

We all seem to really struggle here in Somerset in terms of getting about places.

For example, for me to go and get my hair cut, or go to a bakery/cafe, I have to drive a few miles to the next village and there’s no dedicated parking in that village.

There’s no public transport whatsoever and the roads are really not suited towards “casual/leisurely” cycling. No cycle paths, no pavements, no busses.

A few of the locals use horses and tractors to get around…

The best I’ve seen so far is one of the old boys driving his ride on mower to get a pint of milk.

[don simon fbpe]

Some people in this country

Some people in this country are real dickheads

Becki Haskins, 37, said: “I’ve had verbal abuse all the time. A man has threatened to follow me home and park in my drive. People come from all over because it’s a nice school.”

By all means follow them home, (don’t follow them home) and park legally outside their house though.

Obviously there’s a fair point of too many cars on the roads, the infrastructure being inadequate, etc, etc. But that’s for a different day.

[Dr Ofsereb]

I think the point is, when

I think the point is, when reading the full article, that it isn’t just one nail, and there is an allegation that  the mails have actually been fixed in an upright manner to casue damage. Other people have also picked them up and there seem to have been threats too. Someone could step on it, or it could cause a slow puncture that strands someone somewhere unsafe. All of this makes it seem like a course of criminal conduct, and worth investigating.

 

[zero_trooper]

‘She believes this was

‘She believes this was deliberate’ is the key line. If the driver/victim says that it’s a crime, then it is. Police record it, ‘investigate’ and when there’s no more incidents get it reclassified as ‘no crime’.

As mentioned above, a slow news day in Somerset.

[Beecho]

sizbut wrote:

…a slow news day in Somerset…

Every day bar Glastonbury then.

[sizbut]

Calm down. ““We are treating

Calm down. ““We are treating the incident as criminal damage and are keen to hear from anyone who may have information” equals ‘we’ve written it down, nodded and made the appropriate noises but we’re not actually doing anything unless someone provides details of more incidents/real evidence’. 

Yes, the news story as I read it on the BBC did seem very thin – that’s nothing to do with the police and probably much more about a slow news day in Somerset – so blame the media if you want to rant.

[Anonymous]

ONE fucking screw, are the

ONE fucking screw, are the police for real, you can easily pick up a random screw or metal object on the road. Now if there were half a dozen people in the vicinity getting screws in their tyres you might have a point, but one! Complete waste of polic time, why are they even bothering with this ffs, there’s simply no evidence whatsoever this is deliberate!

[Canyon48]

I’m surprised anyone would do

I’m surprised anyone would do that on the Somerset levels, as they wouldn’t want to inflict damage on their webbed feet!

[PRSboy]

That’s a risky strategy.  How

That’s a risky strategy.  How do the nails and screws know to stick only into the tyres of a school run car, rather pet paws, visiting guests, or the supermarket van, for example.

Or do the residents warn people “Ah, don’t park there as I’ve scattered screws about and covered them in leaves”

Or do they rush out and do it before school hours before sweeping them up and putting them in a jar, ready for tomorrow.  Most odd.

[Author]

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